//------------------------------//
// Pacifist Chapter 1 
// Story: Ponytale 
// by -Pinkamena_Pie- 
//------------------------------//



Long ago, two races ruled over Equus: Humans and Ponies.
One day, war broke out between the two races.
After a long battle, the humans were victorious.
They sealed the ponies underground.
But with her dying breath, the Princess Galaxia stated her wishes for the humans to experience good fortune.
The King Arthur, realizing his error, set a curse upon himself and all of the human race to never know true peace.

Many years later...

A mountain now lies upon the remnants of the battlefield, known only as Mount Canterlot.
It is said that those who climb this mountain never return.
You, of course, decide to climb it to see for yourself.





You wake up on a bed of what appears to be moon lilies, a rare flower that blooms solely at night. You've never actually seen one before, only read about them in books. The fact that a large patch of them just happened to be growing right where you landed after that fall is shocking to you. Nonetheless, you do have to figure out where you are, and so, you get up, looking around.

It seems you are in a cave of some kind, with a single opening far, far above, gently beaming moonlight down on the patch of moon lilies. All around you are stone walls, with a single well-designed archway on the far wall. Above it, a design involving two strange horselike figures curled around the sun and moon can be seen, though faded. It seems you landed in some kind of ruin. What could have been living in a mountain, you have no idea. Maybe dwarves?

You only appear to have one choice of direction, so you brush off your blue and purple striped sweater, and begin walking towards the archway. You brush your hand upon its' surprisingly smooth surface as you pass by.

Upon going through, you find yourself in an even larger room, with yet another patch of moon lilies in the center of it. However, you notice one of the flowers appear to be standing up. It turns towards you as you enter.

"Oh, hello! I'm Lilith! Lilith the Lily! We don't get many visitors down here. What's your name?"

Not knowing how to respond, you simply remain silent, hoping you didn't seem rude. You smile calmly and wave.

"Not a big talker, hm? That's alright! Sometimes the best creatures are the ones that just listen. Although, since you're a first-time visitor to Underquestria, I should probably show you how it works around here. C'mon, let's go!"

Without warning, you see something shine within you and slowly turn itself into a heart-shaped formation.

"Ooh, see that? That's something called a soul. It's what gives all creatures life and helps them coexist. Pretty interesting, right?"

You nod in agreement, unsure what to do. You never had a shining thing randomly appear out of your body before, after all.

"Now the thing about a soul is..."

You find yourself attacked by a stream of large bladed petals as the supposedly nice flower seems to morph an otherwordly and quite evil expression onto it's face, causing you to suffer multiple lacerations.

"That it holds enough power to make anycreature strong enough to do whatever they want!"

That... hurt... so much... You don't know why this lily had attacked you like that, but you're pretty sure you're starting to bleed out. You look at the lily with a confused and pleading expression.

"You're such a foal. You really thought I would pass this up? A soul is just what I need to grow strong enough to leave this accursed place. And it looks like yours is just *dying* to be used."

The flower laughs maliciously and surrounds you in the same sharp-bladed petals from before, slowly moving them towards you, as if your torture is amusing to it. Everywhere you look, there's just more petals.

Just before the petals begin to lacerate you again, what looks like a sparkling laser beam of some kind hits the flower from behind. It yelps, losing its' focus, and dives into the ground, only to be hit again from the same location. The flower burrows deeper and digs away, as you could hear from the sounds emanating from the ground. You look up, following the path of the beam.

There, stepping forward in the light, was a large white pony with a set of wings and the horn of a unicorn. Her mane flowed with all the glamour of the daytime, and she had a soft smile on her snout.

"Such a terrible creature. You poor child... Allow me to help you."

You see the equine's horn light up as a soothing feeling passes over you. You can see your wounds slowly closing. It's hard to believe... But could this be magic? You had thought it was just a myth. Then again, you just met an evil talking flower and a talking horse to boot. Most ideas of 'myths' were shattered for you by now.

"There we go. Little one, I am not a threat to you. I am Celestia, and this is my home. I pass through this place occasionally to pick a few of the moon lilies. They are quite beautiful in full bloom."

She leans down to the lily patch and gently picks a few of the flowers, holding them in her magic, with a sad expression on her face.

"They are a reminder of somepony I lost a long time ago. Somepony I loved."

Despite almost dying, you can't help but feel bad for this large, terrifying, possibly-going-to-kill-you horse. So you approach her, and unsure what comforting a pony is like, simply pet her neck. She shakes herself from her reverie.

"Ah, yes, my child. You are right, I should not be dwelling on the past. It is not good to think like such."

She gives you a single moon lily, which you put behind your ear, before she begins walking to a gateway you didn't notice before.

"Come, my child. I will lead you through the ruins to safety. They are quite dangerous to travel alone in, after all."

You pause for a few moments, unsure whether to follow her, but you have a feeling she is telling the truth. You will not die if you follow her.

You smile and go through the gate, pony by your side.